March 18

Rock and roll lost its founding architect today in 2017 when Chuck Berry was found dead at his St. Louis home at 90, ending the life of the guitarist whose duck walk, storytelling songs like "Johnny B. Goode," and guitar licks essentially invented the template for rock music…

 

The Mamas and the Papas mourned their troubled leader on this day in 2001 when John Phillips died at 65 from heart failure, ending the career of the songwriter whose "California Dreamin'" defined 1960s folk-rock while his drug addiction and incestuous relationship with daughter Mackenzie tainted his legacy…

 

We remember soul's most explosive voice Wilson Pickett on his birthday today in 1941, the "Wicked Pickett" whose raw power on "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally" defined Memphis soul's intensity before his death in 2006 silenced one of R&B's most commanding vocalists…

 

Pop-rock's most calculated frontman Adam Levine celebrates his 47th birthday today, the Maroon 5 singer whose falsetto and 'The Voice' coaching made him ubiquitous across 2000s pop culture while critics debated whether his success represented talent or savvy marketing…

 

Session percussion lost a versatile master on this day in 2014 when Joe Lala died at 66, ending the career of the drummer-percussionist whose work with Blues Image, Joe Walsh, and Manassas showcased his ability to enhance any musical context with Latin and rock rhythms…

 

Classical music's greatest orchestral colorist Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born on this day in 1844, the Russian composer whose "Flight of the Bumblebee" and exotic harmonies influenced everyone from Stravinsky to modern film composers before his death in 1908.